It was 25 years ago when one of the greatest NFL teams of all time held up the Vince Lombardi trophy after defeating the Buffalo Bills 37-24. It was also the Skins’ third Championship in 10 years. This was the first, however, that was over a full 16-game schedule, with the other two Championships won after strike-shortened seasons.

The team ranked first in offense during the regular season, and also had the second-ranked defense. Outscoring opponents by 332 points through the regular season and post-season combined, the Redskins didn’t trail once after the regular season had ended. Incredible.

Once I get about five or six games into a season, I start to gamble with a little bit more fervor. After all, you have a much better sense of all 32 teams’ relative ability by this point.

I generally only gamble in two veins – football picks, and online casino games. So when I’m not trying my luck at netbet online casino games, I’m scouring over the weekly NFL odds, and looking for opportunity. My experiences are that just gambling every week for the sake of it, is not a worthwhile venture. So with an eye to actually winning, I offer you my four best options this week and a brief explanation of each:

Redskins (2-3) at Jets (3-1)LINE: NY JETS by 6
Call me a homer, but I just don’t think the Jets deserve 6 points. The Redskins play solid defense, and the Ryan Fitzpatrick led Jets don’t really put the fear of God into anyone offensively, which just lessens the possibility of them winning by a touchdown. I struggle to see that happening regardless of the game’s result, so I’m taking Washington to cover.

Pick: Washington

Bengals (5-0) at Bills (3-2)LINE: CINCINNATI by 4

Sometimes I let math run it’s course when I gamble and this is a case in point. It doesn’t even matter what I think about the game or the match-up, the line has just moved too much. This game opened as a straight pick-em in many venues, but due to the fact that the Bengals were getting the lion’s share of the action, the line moved four full points! Don’t overthink this or let your ego get in the way – the slide gave you four more points than you should get – take the Bills.

Pick: Buffalo

Patriots (5-0) at Colts (3-2)LINE: NEW ENGLAND by 9.5

I have every confidence that the Patriots CAN cover whatever spread is put in front of them, especially against the Colts. Indianapolis may have won 3 times, but it was against the Texans, Titans and Jaguars. In their losses to the Bills and Jets, Indy lost by double digits. For your consideration, the Pats have won the last 4 match-ups by a combined score of 189-73 (45-7, 42-20, 43-22 and 59-24). That’s an average score of 47-18. Gulp. Bill Belichek won’t take his foot off their throats and this one will be ugly.

Pick: New England

Chargers (2-3) at Packers (5-0)LINE: GREEN BAY by 10.5

In a complete about face, I struggle to see Green Bay covering double digits this week. The Chargers have covered 7 of the last 8 times after playing the Monday Night game and this week will be no different. Sure the Packers are going to win the game and remain undefeated, but 10.5 points is just an awful lot to give Phillip Rivers on any day.

Pick: San Diego

It doesn’t matter what I post here, you’re going to make decisions that you like. I chose these four games this week, because for me, they have the most up-side. Pop on over to NFL.com’s Game Center and pick up all of the latest information you need to make an informed decision about any game, and have fun!!

Hail!

Follow me on Twitter @TheHogsdotNet and tell me what an idiot I am when I lose. 😉

The Redskins dropped off dramatically after a division title in 2012. Following a 10-6 season they returned back to the NFC East basement in 2013 with a 3-13 record and no first-round pick to show for it.

That, coupled with their $36 million cap penalty for 2012 and 2013, makes this free agency period more important than normal.

Washington was tied with the Chicago Bears in 2013 for allowing the second most points points per game (29.9), which means the defense, specifically the secondary, will be a high priority in this free agent class.

So who might the Redskins target to improve their roster? Let’s take a look at who the team reportedly has their sights set on based on reports from local Redskins beat writers. Read the rest of this entry »

The Redskins improved to 3-0 in the preseason with their well-rounded 30-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills Saturday afternoon. Although scores and records don’t matter in the preseason, performance does. Here’s what I took away from yesterday’s game:

Everybody likes to watch different elements in the preseason. Here are the top 5 guys that I’ll have my eye on tonight:

RGIII

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He won’t play much… it might be vanilla… he might hand the ball off half the time or more. Does any of that really matter?

Absolutely not. A new era begins for Washington tonight. Regardless of the lack of importance of the performance or the results, don’t try to tell me that Robert Griffin III isn’t the numero uno thing to watch tonight.

It’s shaping up to be a pretty interesting season for the Washington Redskins, who have already experienced a number of different ups and downs. Many fans will remember that before the season, quarterback Rex Grossman predicted a division title for Washington, and received mostly ridicule in response. However, Washington got off to a quick start, and the NFC East doesn’t look quite as tough as many thought it would be. Now, 7 weeks into the season, the Redskins are 3-3, right in the hunt and only a game behind the 1st place New York Giants. This places a lot of significance on Washington’s Week 8 game at Buffalo. Read the rest of this entry »